Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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59.To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for a breakdown of international development assistance funding provided to each country in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25162/24]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland's international development programme focusses on providing support for countries and communities where needs are greatest. The Government's policy for international development, A Better World, provides the framework, with the objective of reaching the furthest behind first and addressing the needs of those living in some of the world’s poorest or most climate-exposed countries and those living in areas affected by conflict.

This support is channelled bilaterally through Irish Embassies in relevant countries, through civil society and humanitarian organisations, and through multilateral organisations, including the United Nations.

Final detailed ODA figures for 2023 are being finalised and will be published in the 2023 Annual Report, in October. It will contain details of the confirmed top 30 recipient countries of Irleand's bilateral ODA in 2023.

The top 30 recipient countries of Ireland’s bilateral ODA in 2022 were as follows:

Please note that in the case of countries with major humanitarian crises, funding may be allocated to neighbouring countries or on a non-country specific basis.

* This figure represents the overall support to the Palestinian People across the Middle East region. This includes €8 million in support through UNWRA, which provides basic services for Palestine refugees in five locations across the region: the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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60.To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the 2023 Irish Aid Climate and Environmental Finance Report will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25163/24]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is required to report annually on Ireland's annual climate finance, to the EU, to the OECD Development Assistance Committee, and to the UNFCCC. In addition, the Department of Foreign Affairs publishes an annual Climate and Environmental Finance Report, which provides information on the sources of finance, the thematic and geographic focus of funding and the channels through which funding is provided. These reports are available online.

In line with the EU Governance Regulation, Ireland will submit 2023 climate finance data to the EU before the deadline of 30 September 2024. Following verification of Ireland’s 2023 data for Official Development Assistance by the OECD Development Assistance Committee, a finalised figure for Ireland’s climate finance is then calculated. This verification process will likely conclude in the fourth Quarter of this year. The Department of Foreign Affairs will publish Ireland’s 2023 Climate and Environmental Finance Report as soon as possible thereafter.

As set out in the most recent report, in 2022 Ireland provided a total of €120.8 million in climate finance. This represents our highest verified spend to date. Of this, 65% was provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs; 16% by the Department of Finance; 15% by Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, and 4% by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Marine.

At COP26 held in Glasgow in 2021, the Taoiseach announced a target of providing at least €225 million per year in climate finance to developing countries by 2025. The Government has made significant progress in scaling up Ireland’s climate finance and we are on track to meet this target by 2025. We estimate that Ireland provided at least €147 million in climate finance last year. A finalised figure and detailed breakdown will be published in the forthcoming report for 2023.

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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61.To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the 2023 Irish Aid Annual Report will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25164/24]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland’s policy for international development, A Better World, sets out the priorities and areas for intervention for development assistance across government departments. Supporting countries and communities most seriously in need is the core work of Ireland’s development assistance programme. A Better World, focuses on addressing the needs of countries and communities who are furthest behind. It has a particular emphasis on those in the world’s poorest or climate-exposed regions, especially women and girls.

The Government delivers this support through our bilateral development programme, channelled through Irish Embassies in relevant countries, through civil society and humanitarian organisations and multilateral organisations such as the United Nations. The most important criterion for decisions on which channel to use is the ability of the partner to reach those in need in the most effective way possible.

The Department of Foreign Affairs publishes an annual report on Ireland's Official Development Assistance programme, setting out the details of funding and its impact. The report includes a series of annexes with detailed statistical information on programme expenditure, showing the distribution of aid, the amounts allocated to priority focus areas and amounts provided through different channels and to different countries.

I expect that the 2023 report will be published in October this year. Annual Reports for 2022 and previous years are available on the Irish Aid website.

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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62.To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide an update on the commitment to providing at least €225 million per year in climate finance to developing countries by 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25165/24]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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International climate finance is a key priority for the Government and for Ireland’s foreign policy. At COP26 in 2021, the Taoiseach announced the target to provide a least €225 million annually in climate finance to developing countries by 2025. Ireland’s International Climate Finance Roadmap, published in 2022, sets out how we will deliver on the target, which represents an increase of 150% from a baseline of just under €90 million in 2020. We remain on track to deliver on this ambition.

The Roadmap sets out our strategy and priorities for this rapid scale-up in funding. It builds on Ireland's positive record on climate finance, maintaining a focus on adaptation in some of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, particularly Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States. The Roadmap also expands Ireland’s focus to encompass key related areas including support for the livelihoods of coastal communities, climate and security, and Loss and Damage.

Ireland’s climate finance is channelled through our Embassies, multilateral organisations, and NGO partners. In 2022, Ireland provided €120.8 million in climate finance – an increase of 21% on the previous year. In line with our priorities, 80% of this went to programmes that support adaptation either as a whole or as one component. 84% of our bilateral climate finance in 2022 was channelled to Least Developed Countries.

In 2023, we estimate that Ireland provided at least €147 million in climate finance. A finalised figure for 2023 will be published following verification of Ireland’s Official Development Assistance data by the OECD Development Assistance Committee which is expected later this year.